There are presently a wide variety of portable electronic devices. Mobile cellular telephones, with estimated billions of active units, are available in a range of different shapes and sizes, as either smart phones or feature phones, with a variety of different functions. Other portable electronic devices exist, as well, such as portable music players and digital video players. Moreover portable notebook computers have long been popular and tablet computers are likewise growing in popularity.
Many portable electronic devices can store and play music, or at least transmit digital music signals to earphones, headphones or loudspeakers. Some of these devices have built in speakers and/or microphones, whereas others do not. Some portable electronic devices also have front and/or back facing combined still-video cameras, or may only have a rear facing camera, for example, on the opposite side from the touch screen or keys.
Some portable electronic devices have the capability to download programs or Apps (short for software “Applications”) from a virtual marketplace or directly from the internet, whereas others cannot. Further, some portable electronic devices have the capability to join a wireless network using Wi-Fi whereas others do not have that capability.
Some portable electronic devices have the ability, using an App, to become “virtual” or “soft” telephones using VoIP (otherwise known as Voice Over Internet Protocol) utilizing, for example, a Wi-Fi network connection to connect to the internet, whereas others do not have that capability.
Cameras can and have been placed on various parts of these kinds of mobile devices. Most cell phones have their camera on the opposite side of the device from their keyboard, number pad or touch screen. Many newer devices also have front facing cameras (on the same side of the device as the touch screen) in order to facilitate video conference calls. The older versions of those devices either did not have cameras at all or only had rear facing cameras (on the side of the device opposite the touch screen) and did not have front facing cameras.
Since most portable electronic devices are relatively fragile and include glass as a major component, owners are often interested in protecting them by putting the mobile device in a case which would help prevent damage if, for example, they are accidentally dropped by the user. Other cases are used as an accessory to the device to provide a visual identity or fashion element. Such cases are described and/or shown in US2010/0240427; US2008/0302456 and U.S. Pat. No. D603,389. Some of the major case producers are Belkin, Griffin Technologies, Speck Products, iFrogz, iSkin, Incase, OtterBox, and Case-Mate. The vast majority of these cases simply contain the device within a hard or soft shell designed essentially to snuggly fit around the device. Many of these cases are made of hard plastic such as a polycarbonate or soft polymers such as silicone. Other cases are crafted from leather. Many of the cases also incorporate screen protectors or clips to facilitate attachment to a belt or clothing. Most cases include openings at various points to allow the user to have access to the device controls, switches and connector ports.
None of the cases for these mobile electronic devices attach to the device without the need for the case to physically capture the device. Some cases have two pieces and necessitate the need for separation in order to remove the case from the device. Some of the cases that are made of a soft material slip easily on and off the device but they still need to cover a portion of the front of the device in order to say attached. None of these provide a means of attaching to the device without covering a portion of the front edge of the device.
Known cases have a number of shortcomings. The two piece hard shell cases require difficulty in attaching and removing them from the device. The action of attaching and removing weakens the connecting parts and limits the usefulness of the case and its lifespan. The cases that wrap fully around the device provide increased difficulty in using accessories for the device such as charging cables, headphones, and docks. Soft shell cases allow for the ease of attachment and removal from the device however they do not protect the device from falls as well as a hard case. In addition, the material used for these cases is sticky and has a high friction coefficient which makes the case/device difficult to place into and take out of pants pockets and other personal storage areas.